Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue ‘set new records in 2021’

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue “set new records in 2021”, according to a new report by semiconductor manufacturing industry association SEMI. 

SEMI says that worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in 2021 increased 14 percent while wafer revenue rose 13 percent compared to 2020, topping $12 billion, to reach new “all-time highs”.

The study was produced by the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group as part of its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Silicon shipments totaled 14,165 million square inches compared to 12,407 MSI shipped in 2020 to meet surging broad-based demand for semiconductor devices and a wide variety of applications.

300 mm, 200 mm and 150 mm wafer sizes all saw strong demand. Wafer revenue reached $12,617 million, surpassing the previous record of $12,129 million set in 2007.

Neil Weaver, SEMI’s outgoing chairman and vice president, and product development and applications engineering at Shin Etsu Handotai America, says: “The robust year-over-year growth in silicon wafer area shipments and revenue reflects the heavy dependence of the modern economy on silicon wafers.

“Wafers are the engine of digital transformation and new technologies that are reshaping how we live and work.”

All data cited above includes polished silicon wafers such as virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped to end users.

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for the majority of semiconductors, which are vital components of all electronic devices. The highly engineered thin disks are produced in diameters of up to 12 inches and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices, or chips, are fabricated.

The SMG is a sub-committee of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (for example, as cut, polished, epi).

The SMG facilitates collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.